After All
by MugglebornPrincesa
Summary: Q/OC- "What If": Q remains human after "Déjà Q" and tries to cope with life. A friendship forms between Q and a woman he meets in Ten Forward, but could there be more? Rated T for now, M later if people want a "scene". *wink* R&R- tell me what you want!
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Trek or any of its characters. I do, however, own my OC, so na na na na na naaaaa…

Author's Note: OK, so this is my first story ever. I have been a silent member of the FanFiction community for too long! I've always had so many ideas floating in my head, and nearly all of them ended in a heated scene with whatever hot guy I was obsessed with at the given time. This time happened to be Q. By the way, if you're thinking, "Hot? What the frick is her problem?" then this is not the place for you to be. In fact, I don't know how you got here in the first place. Get the hell out! I had written this story for my Creative Writing class, and I want to know if you'd rather play leapfrog with a unicorn rather than read it. However, try to be nice. The unicorn did have the decency to apologize, after all. Enjoy!

After All

Chapter One

Q walked briskly down the tan halls of the Galaxy-class starship _USS Enterprise NCC-1701-D_, projecting an air of self-importance and confidence. He was, however, in a dreadful mood that morning, as he always was, and it certainly didn't help that he had a member of security following him around as if he were secretly plotting a warp core breach. He was simply headed to Ten Forward to get something to eat, if only he knew what to get. Being condemned to such a limited species was indeed one of the low points in his life, and Q wasn't sure he wanted to face all the challenges that lay ahead, even the small ones such as hunger or fatigue.

_That microbrain fool Worf must have assigned this oaf to me, that miserable brute. How he became the security chief I'll never know_, Q thought with disdain. Once the doors to Ten Forward slid open, he lingered in the doorway and scanned the room for his nemesis, Guinan. He certainly didn't need to be stabbed in the hand with a fork again or receive another emotionally taxing verbal lashing from her.

He had already been through enough with his near-death experience with the Calamarain. Although Q would never admit his appreciation out loud, Jean-Luc and his pitiful so-called 'crew' were able to pull his shuttlecraft back into the bay and raise the shields before those devious swarms of ionized gas could put an end to Q's wretched existence. He had changed his mind at the last minute, and decided that a boring mortal life was, indeed, a life and was a better alternative to death. But now that he was here aboard the _Enterprise_ and waiting to be dropped off at the nearest Federation starbase, he wasn't so sure he would be able to accept a mortal life, let alone the life of a normal, imperfect, weak human being. He would have no one to turn to or to guide him in learning how to eat, sleep, or even go to the bathroom. He had difficulties with the latter more times than he cared to remember, but his android acquaintance Data had assisted him and was subsequently sworn to secrecy for all eternity.

However, Q was never one to quit even though every member of the Q Continuum had thrown him out of their society for good. He would at least make an honest effort, and the first thing he needed to do was eat. Having assessed the room as a Guinan-free area for the moment, Q made his way over to the bar and sat down. He still didn't know what to order. Having been an omnipotent being for the past few billions of years, Q had no need for food. When he first became human, Data had been no help, although his intentions were good. The last time Data had given him advice on selecting nourishment, he wound up ordering ten chocolate sundaes he didn't even get to eat, no thanks to Guinan.

Q was in the same dilemma now. He noticed one other person sitting at the bar a few seats over, sipping a green liquid from a martini glass. She had shoulder length dark blond hair and blue eyes, a victim of Commander Riker's womanizing no doubt. She was wearing a science division uniform, and she had two pip insignias on her collar, making her a lieutenant.

"Excuse me, you don't happen to know who I am, do you?" he asked.

She turned to him and tried to hide a smirk behind her glass. "Yes, I am aware of who you are. I'm fairly certain everyone on the ship knows you. It's pretty much mandatory for all _Enterprise _personnel to be briefed on your existence and all the past hell-raising encounters we've had with you. You certainly have some notoriety around here."

"Oh, is that so?" he replied. "Well, I say I am flattered that Jean-Luc would go to that much trouble on my behalf. Trying to build up my reputation like that, although I do say it is a tad much. My presence does speak for itself, after all."

"Is there something you wanted, Q?"

"Oh. Yes, well…" He wasn't sure how to tell her that he didn't know what type of food to order, or how much, or even how to eat. This would just have to be one of many humiliations he would have to endure in learning about his new way of life. He tried to speak casually and pretend he wasn't embarrassed. "I was wondering if you could recommend to me a good first meal to have. That android you people have was of little assistance. I have never had the opportunity to eat anything in my life until now, and I find myself extremely fascinated by the wide selection."

"You mean now that you're human and you're _required_ to eat? Yes, I can see how that would be fascinating." Her mischievous smile turned serious as she considered an answer. "Well, I have had many types of food from all over the galaxy, but my favorite will always be steak and potatoes. It's simple, but if it's made right, it could very well knock your socks off."

"Why would I want my socks to be knocked off?" This woman was ridiculous. Unless that was another pointless idiom used by humans, in which case he would dismiss it altogether.

She shook her head and laughed at his remark. How dare she! "Would you like me to get a plate of food for you? Maybe a drink too?" He considered her proposal.

_Well, I am hungry, and apparently clothing can be magically removed from ingesting it. Maybe I can get her to eat some. That would teach her to laugh at me_, he thought.

"…That would be acceptable, thank you."

She laughed again, rolled her eyes, and headed toward the replicator on the far side of the dining hall. He wondered if this woman was playing some trick on him, as he used to do to the crew before his…predicament. It would be justified, he thought, that some would try to get even with him, especially since he introduced humanity to the Borg and, as a result, caused the deaths of eighteen of the ship's crew members. Yes, he would have to watch his step carefully. For the first time, he was glad that blockhead security officer was hovering somewhere nearby. He might be there to make sure Q didn't get into trouble, but Q wondered if he would protect him if one of the crew were to try anything.

_Maybe he would join them instead. The alleged 'evolved' moral code of humanity will be reduced to savage revenge and bloodlust once again_, he mused, trying to suppress a shudder.

Q was lost in his thoughts and didn't notice the being standing directly behind him. She had entered the room with stealth, and Q was unaware of her presence. The dark-skinned El-Aurian known as Guinan strolled up to him and whispered, "What are you still doing here, Q?"

He gave a shout of surprise and nearly jumped out of his seat. Everything frightened him now he was human and had all these…busy emotions inside him.

"You!" he said. "Don't do that! You're getting on my nerves, now that I have them! Well, if you must know, I am 'still here' because Jean-Luc hasn't found a place to dump me yet, that's why! The question is, Guinan, why are you still here? Surely by now the crew has figured out you are a dangerous creature and must be flushed out the airlock immediately?"

"No, Q. They have nothing to 'figure out'. You see, the crew likes me. I listen to what they have to say. I am close friends with most of them, which is more than I can say for you."

"What is that supposed to mean? I'm Q! I have an I.Q. of 2005, and everyone respectfully clears a path when I enter a room!"

"That's because they don't want to be near you, Q, not because they respect you. I stand by what I said before. You'd better get used to begging, because you won't survive unless people feel bad enough for you that they're willing to help. You really are a pathetic excuse for a human, and you'd better humble yourself really soon, otherwise you won't last more than a couple of weeks."

Q was horrified, and it must have shown because Guinan began to grin. He knew she relished every occasion to wound his pride, and she was taking full advantage of his vulnerable state.

The woman came back with his food and drink. She was smiling at him, but it faded as she saw his expression. "What's wrong?" She noticed Guinan. "Oh hey Guinan, I didn't know you were coming in. I thought you took today off," she said politely.

"Yes I did, Lorelai, but I just had a feeling I should be here now, and it looks like I was right. This place obviously needs cleaning up," Guinan said with a pointed look at Q.

Lorelai's brow furrowed in confusion. "Well, Q hasn't caused any trouble. He was just looking for something to eat, so I made a suggestion. See?" She held up the plate, but Guinan didn't bother to look at it.

"Give him enough time, Lorelai, and he will. He needs to get off this ship before he causes even more damage than he already has. He's a waste of space and has to go."

Lorelai narrowed her eyes. It seemed she had enough. "He's human now, Guinan, you proved that earlier. Yes, I know about the incident with the fork, and frankly I'm surprised. You know behavior like that is not tolerated in Starfleet, let alone its flagship. We're supposed to be out here exploring new life and new civilizations. We have the opportunity to learn from one of the most advanced minds in the entire universe, and here you are slicing and dicing him!

"What damage do you think he'll do? That business with the Calamarain wasn't entirely Q's fault. Granted, he did provoke them when he was omnipotent, but they didn't have to strike back when he was defenseless. In fact, you've done exactly what they did. Kicking someone when they're already down is a really low blow, Guinan. I respected and even admired you, but I never thought anything or anyone could bring out the worst in you. Apparently I was wrong."

Q's eyes widened with every sentence. He looked over to Guinan, but she didn't appear to let much of her reaction show on her face. He had known her for a long time, and he knew she must be seething yet embarrassed at the truth of Lorelai's words. She looked smaller to him in that moment. He continued to wait in silence and all but dropped his jaw as she simply turned and walked out the door of Ten Forward.

They stayed still for some time. He slowly turned to face his de facto protector. "So…your name is Lorelai?" he asked, noticing her white knuckles as she held the plate with a death grip. He thought she would shatter the glass in her other hand. He gently took it from her.

"What?" She snapped her head in his direction, and then visibly relaxed. "Oh, right, sorry. Yes, it is." She shook off whatever terrible vibe was in her vicinity and sat down next to him with a grin. "Well! If this food won't cheer you up, I don't know what will."

She put the plate in front of him, and to Q's surprise, it smelled delicious, at least to his limited knowledge of the human olfactory sense. He knew the fork once used to stab him was used to eat things, so he experimentally placed it in the potatoes. He put the lump into his mouth and didn't immediately vomit as he thought he would. He swallowed with little effort and decided he wanted some steak. He put his fork into the meat, only to find it did not break apart like the potatoes had. It was too big to fit into his mouth. He turned to Lorelai, eyes averted.

"You will think me an imbecile, but—"

"Nope. Although I will admit you are the dumbest person with limitless knowledge I've ever met. But it's okay. I'll show you how." She took the knife and fork and held them up in front of her. "First, are you a lefty or a righty?"

"In human terms with equally apelike human limbs, I'm ambidextrous. Why?"

She laughed again, and Q considered that the sound was not so unwelcome anymore. "Why did I ask? OK, we'll go righty because I'm a righty. Let's start with the fork. Hold it in your left hand with your index finger on the place where the handle ends and the tines begin. Good, now put it into the steak to hold it in place. Use the knife with your right hand to cut a piece of steak off. Not so hard, is it?"

"Not at all." He went to eat it, but was stopped by her hand on his.

"Wait," she said. "Put some potatoes on it and eat them together. That's the sock-knocking part."

He looked at their hands and back at the plate. _What the hell_. He dipped the piece of steak into the potatoes and ate them both. _Wow, she was right. This is pretty good. Eating isn't so awful_, he grinned. They sat in a comfortable silence for a while, and Q continued to eat without any frustration.

Lorelai faced him after a few minutes. "Hey, Q? What's another word for 'thesaurus'?"

"Onomasticon."

"Of course you know that," she chuckled. "Smartass."

He looked at her again, and he let out his first real laugh as a human. An actual laugh. Not a sarcastic or detached laugh he used to give when he was a Q, but a genuine, hearty laugh. Out of the shocking revelation that he was experiencing his first positive emotion, he chuckled even more in delight. He never felt emotions like this at all before he was human, but now…

_So this is what being happy feels like. Maybe this won't be so horrible after all_.

Author's Note: I was considering this as a oneshot, but since I love Q and my OC so much, I would love to take this further, depending on if you all want more. I will say that I will be taking six classes this semester. Updating may depend on my ability to procrastinate on the work I need to do for those classes. I do love to exploit the awkward sex appeal of Human-Q. You might have noticed some key comments from that fateful episode, and I must simply say that I couldn't resist. All the credit goes to the writers of that episode, so kudos to them for providing some nostalgic fuel for my first attempt at fan fiction. Please review, and thanks for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note: Okey dokey, I hope you all enjoyed Chapter One. This chapter was kind of 'iffy' for me. I wanted to play around a bit with the time and decided to work on the flashback technique. I like to take my time with a story, so future chapters may be shorter because I like giving small bursts of Q's steps into humanity. Either that or I procrastinate with senseless fluff because I don't know what to do next.

This chapter mostly consists of Q in Lorelai's quarters thinking about (*shock*) himself and the time he spent with her in Ten Forward after they finished dinner. Let me know how the flow worked for you guys. I may be new at this whole writing 'thingy', but I've read enough fan fiction to know that this is probably better than some. (Did you hear the *toot-toot* of my horn? I did too…it needs tuning) On with the story!

After All

Chapter Two

Q was on his way back to Lorelai's quarters, the security officer a few paces behind him. Q felt hopeful that he at least had a friend in her. She was helping him even when he didn't ask for it.

The time he spent with Lorelai made him feel about one billion times better than the way he had been feeling for the past few days. She did not look at him the way Jean-Luc or that slow-witted beard that calls itself Riker did. Whenever he paid them an innocent visit, they would take one look at him and consider him the worst possible entity to be stuck in a room with. He was omnipotent at the time and shouldn't have been fazed by such an irrelevant display of contempt by an equally unimpressive species. Yet he couldn't help but feel…put-out.

He had decided at Farpoint that Picard and the other humans were indeed worth further scrutiny, and as such warranted an occasional visit from him. He couldn't help it that those apes spent half their time moaning and whimpering about the situation rather than actually attempting to solve the problem he put in front of them. _A limited lifespan and they spend most of the time complaining_, he rolled his eyes. He then began to think about the irony of his fate as he reached her door.

_Now, it seems, the roles are reversed_, Q thought. He has been faced with the largest problem any Q could ever go through. _I probably won't have to deal with it for very long._ _One more scuffle with another enemy like the Calamarain will end it all, and they were 'redshirt' material at best_, he groaned as he shuffled his way across the threshold into her spaciously ornate living area, leaving the security officer to stand guard outside in case Q tried to sneak away to murder everyone aboard.

Q found it easier to interact with Lorelai than with other humans, partly because of the way she verbally impaled Guinan in Ten Forward. Although it still didn't feel right that he was going in here without her present, she _did_ tell him to meet her here. He sat down on her couch and mused about the moments that led up to how he wound up in her quarters.

~Q~Q~Q~Q~Q~

Q and Lorelai stayed together at the bar for what felt like two minutes when, in fact, it had been almost two hours.

_This meddlesome human brain has little concept of time, and now it's messing with me! How have two hours passed already?_ Q thought while finishing his steak. He found that speaking with Lorelai had been very stimulating, yet he felt unsettled knowing that so much time had passed without his realization.

"So? How was it?" Lorelai asked.

"I must say it was quite good," Q replied.

"Would you like some dessert?"

"More food? What's the difference between everything? Why don't humans ever just eat everything at once?"

She laughed again and shook her head. "Well, since you can't just accept things the way they are, I'll explain as best I can. Basically, humans generally enjoy dessert after dinner because it's usually something sweet. You know, like cake, cookies, sundaes—"

"No! No sundaes, please. I'm afraid I'll never order a chocolate sundae ever again," Q replied with a shudder.

"Oh yeah, I forgot. Well, there wouldn't be any harm if I got one, would there? I mean, it's not like it'll attack you or anything. We could split it if you want, and I promise only spoons will be involved," she giggled. "No pointy edges of any kind!"

"Well, alright. I suppose a few bites won't hurt."

"Mmmkay…" she eyed Q with what appeared to be a mixture of confusion and amusement.

He watched her as she went over to the replicator to get their sundae. He came to the conclusion that she wasn't altogether unattractive. Now that he was human, his out-of-control hormones would certainly play a part in destroying every idea he once had about humans being apelike and grunting their way through life with a perpetual clueless look on their fleshy faces. Now, he was discovering there are many nuances to human expression, and he was learning some of the better ones from Lorelai.

He discovered that her smile was very pleasing to him, and he found himself wanting to say things that would make her do it again, especially if she would be smiling directly at him. He did feel a bit disconcerted at the fact that he was succumbing to the more base desires of humanity within such a short time, however. He was Q for goodness' sake! He wasn't supposed to be off gallivanting with the first attractive female he comes across like that what that idiot Riker appears to enjoy on a daily basis.

_But Lorelai has been kind to me, and I should at least be thankful. Otherwise I'd be entirely alone here. That android wouldn't be able to tell how I feel because he can't even feel anything himself! I suppose she could make some sense out of the nonsense that's going through me_, Q mused as he saw her make her way back to her seat beside him.

"Well if this doesn't change your mind about sundaes, then I've failed," she said as she sat down with a bowl of what looked to be a promising dessert. It looked different than the ten sundaes he ordered a couple of days ago with Data. In addition to the chocolate, there appeared to be bits and chunks of some red and yellow material.

"This looks appetizing. It looks like someone bled and vomited all over the top of the ice cream," he said with his nose turned up, eyeing the bowl with suspicion.

"They're just strawberries and bananas! Would you at least smell it? You're such a baby," she said. "Here."

She held the bowl up to him, and he smelled it tentatively. The sweet smell of the strawberries hit him first, and it mixed with the chocolate in a decadent swirl that reached to his now watering taste buds.

"Er…can I try it?" he asked, ashamed to have once judged the dish solely on appearance.

Lorelai smiled. "Sure. I'd try the blood first. It's O-negative, which really activates the flavor of the chocolate." Q raised an eyebrow at her, and she giggled behind her hand. She gave him a look. "Kidding…geez."

Q took up one of the spoons from the bowl. Having declared himself a professional eater, he didn't require assistance once again to figure out how to get the ice cream out. He put a sizeable lump into his mouth and began to chew. Big mistake.

"Mmmmaaa!" Q shouted. "Iths callld!"

Lorelai burst out laughing. "I probably should've told you it was frozen, huh? My bad."

Q glared at her while he tried to recover from his first brain freeze. He couldn't be angry with her for long, though. She was smiling at him again. As the shock dissipated, he began to taste the sweetened dessert, the chocolate mixed with the strawberries, and his eyes grew wider.

"…This is probably the best thing I've ever eaten," he said, going back for more.

Lorelai smiled again as she began to eat as well. "Well, that's not really saying much, because the "Things Q Has Eaten" list comes to a grand total of three so far. Why don't we wait until we can broaden the horizon of your taste buds a little more, OK?"

"We? You make it sound like this should happen regularly. I don't think I'll require your assistance any longer. I don't need to go into a frozen shock again. I'm quite sure I can manage on my own."

"Yes, quite." Lorelai raised her brow. "Although you will eventually need to sleep again. My friend Charles works in the brig, and he told me about your little visit there. He told me you were frightened when you woke up and didn't know where you were or what had happened to you. Then there's showering, brushing your teeth, going to the bathroom—"

"Yes, well, I've already had some help with that, thank you very much. I will admit that I am nervous about losing consciousness again. I still don't know how humans deal with it. Jean-Luc only told me to 'get used to it'. I suppose if he ever had children he would teach them to swim by throwing them into the deep end and hoping for the best."

"Yes, well, if you want, I'd be willing to be a bit more considerate than that," she said.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I suppose I mean…that is to say…well. Huh." She closed her eyes for a moment, put her spoon down, and then opened them again, appearing more focused. Q thought she had trouble communicating, but he couldn't figure out why. She then directed her attention back toward him and said, "What I mean is, if you need my help in any way, like understanding why people need sleep, or helping you go to sleep, getting comfortable, whatever, I would be more than happy to stop by your quarters tonight."

Q's eyes widened in a panic. "Ugh. I nearly forgot. After my brief moment of insanity with the Calamarain, I was told to go to sickbay to make sure I was at least still able to function on my own. Through Crusher's endless scanning and Troi's pedantic psychobabble, I was finally released to go and get something to eat. Jean-Luc never even made an appearance to tell me where and even _if_ I was to be assigned temporary quarters. So, as of now, I am homeless. They're probably all having a good laugh at my expense, no doubt."

Lorelai grinned, yet she also seemed as though she felt bad for him. _Great_, he thought. _Now she's taking pity on me. That's exactly what I need._

"Well, I'm going to talk to the captain about that. I may only be a professor here, but the captain and I have been friends for years. I'm sure we'll be able to work something out. The sofa in my quarters pulls out into a bed, and you're more than welcome to stay with me if you want to. If our places were switched I wouldn't want to be alone. Learning new things can be daunting for many people. Just ask my students."

She was really going out on a limb on his behalf, and Q was glad he didn't have to have another squabble with Picard again. The fact that the so-called 'crew' had found a way to fight off the Calamarain until they gave up the hunt for him was nothing short of a miracle given the limited knowledge and resources of the tiny human brain. At least it was one less thing Picard could yell at him for, and they had finally been able to fix the orbit of Bre'el IV's moon.

"If it means I'll avoid arguing with Jean-Luc, then I'll be, as you say, 'all for it'," Q said.

"Great. So, my quarters are on deck eight. If you want to avoid seeing the captain, you should go there now, and I can meet you there after I'm done."

"Okay," Q said with uncertainty. "Are you sure it's alright that I go there? I don't know if that gorilla security guard will let me anywhere that isn't a bathroom or a hallway."

"Leave him to me, finish your sundae, and I'll see you later, OK?" Lorelai placed her hand on his shoulder in reassurance.

She squeezed his shoulder before getting up and walking to the guard. They spoke for a short time, and Lorelai gestured in Q's direction. The guard eventually nodded in assent with whatever she said to him, and Lorelai turned one last time to smile at Q before she went out the door. He had to laugh, though, as she continued walking and ran right into someone coming in the other way. She excused herself, and the last thing he saw before the door closed was Lorelai smacking her hand against her forehead and rolling her eyes.

_Silly humans_, Q thought with an oblivious shake of his head. _Only one set of eyes, and they can't even do their job right. Curious._

~Q~Q~Q~Q~Q~

Q chuckled at the memory as he began to look around Lorelai's quarters. It was different than the rest of the _Enterprise_ décor. There were posters, paintings, and color all over the walls. He recognized them as different places from planets all over the galaxy; however most of it was from Earth. Not one piece of furniture matched, but it felt comfortable somehow. The room looked chaotic, but it also felt like it couldn't be any other way.

He felt antsy in that moment, so he shot up from the couch, anxious to do _something_ until Lorelai would arrive. He walked around her living area and inspected the smaller photographs of her and who he guessed were various colleagues, friends, and family members. He even saw one with Picard and Lorelai standing outside the Great Pyramid of Khufu in Egypt.

Q moved on and noticed the bathroom. _Thank god I don't have to relieve myself. Imagine if she walked in while I was…ugh._ Just then, he heard the sound of her door opening and in she strode.

"Hi! I see you found it okay?"

"Good god, woman! I don't have to go! And even if I did, I told you I didn't need anyone's help going to the bathroom anymore!"

"…I was talking about my quarters," she whispered, blushing furiously.

"Oh. Alright then." Q turned pale and sweaty, and he wondered how long it would take to get to a shuttlecraft. Would he be able to take it again to scan for the Calamarain's whereabouts? He hoped they hadn't gotten far.

"Q, are you okay? Listen to me, it's alright. Don't be embarrassed; people do crap like that all the time. No pun intended." She deadpanned the last statement with a pat on his shoulder.

He couldn't breathe, but his color returned and he let out what could be considered a laugh, at least by his standards; it sounded more like a sharp exhale mixed with a grunt. _Now who's the ape?_ he thought.

"Come on, it's bedtime. Help me with the sofa," Lorelai motioned him over to one side of the couch so he could help her set up the pullout.

"You know," he said, "The last time I went to sleep I was terrified when I woke up. I didn't know what was going on. How do you know that I won't have a panic attack when I wake up this time?"

"I don't. That's what makes this fun. But I tell you what—I find that if I go to sleep nice and relaxed, I'd have great dreams and wake up feeling refreshed. I'll stay with you until you fall asleep, okay? That way you won't be alone."

"That sounds great. I am now officially four years old and afraid of my own shadow."

"Never. Come on." She coaxed him down on the bed so he could be comfortable for the night. "Alright, you're going to get tucked in, every human loves that once in a while. Reassures them that somebody cares."

"You know, you don't have to stay here. I'm not a four year-old," he said indignantly.

"No, you're more like four _days_ old. That's how long you've been human, anyway. But fine, I'll just leave my door open in case you need anything, OK?" He nodded in agreement.

Lorelai pulled the blankets over Q and fluffed the pillow behind his head. Before she drew her hands away, she allowed them to gently caress the sides of his face for just a moment. Q imagined that humans needed physical contact sometimes to make a meaningful connection because his body was immersed in the feeling of her hands on him. _So soft._

"You have no reason to be scared, but I get why you are. I get that it feels like you're 'losing consciousness' because you've never needed to sleep before. But I want you to trust me when I tell you that this time will be different. You're not in the brig. I'll only be one room away. You're not alone, Q."

All Q could do was nod. His mouth felt dry, and he was positive he was beginning to sweat. He never had a human so close to him for any reason, and he never would have expected it to be a positive one. Lorelai smiled at him one last time before she went to the doorway of her bedroom.

"Like I said before, I'll leave the door open, in case you want…I don't know, soap? Well, good night!" She slowly rotated her body away from him and awkwardly walked toward her bedroom. "Soap?" she whispered before he saw her disappear through the doorway.

_Strange_, Q thought. His eyes felt heavy and he knew he was powerless to stop it. It was becoming increasingly difficult to move his arms or even his fingers. Q could barely form a coherent thought, but he kept track of one in particular until he slipped into the best and, up until that point, only dreams of his life.

_I want you to trust me._

Author's Note: Firstly, I'd like to point out the comment of the 'redshirt', and I'd like to conjecture that Q had probably been observing humanity even in Kirk's time, and that he laughed his ass off every time a redshirt got killed before they could get to the First Act. Good times…

Also, from the beginning of the chapter, you can probably speculate that I don't much care for certain characters. I will say that I do like Riker, just not the fact that he can't seem to keep it in his pants for even fifteen seconds after meeting some chick that comes aboard the Enterprise for whatever reason. He's a good character in general, and I like his centric stories on TNG, just not his hormones.

You'll probably also notice that I've been leaving out any type of physical description of Lorelai. Other than the part about her hair and eyes in the first chapter, I've purposely left out anything else. I firmly believe that it shouldn't matter what she looks like in order for Q to become attracted to her. After all, he is a 'blank slate', if you will, about any preconceived notions of beauty and attractiveness that society stamps on a girl from a very young age. That's the way it should be. No one should be too fat, too skinny, too dark, or too light to be considered ugly or unattractive. Complete bull. I blame the media. Wow, what a typical sentence. "I blame the media." Whaaa?

Also, is anything about this story cheesy or corny? Too fake or just plain WTF?

Anyway, thanks for reading again, and take the time to review please!


End file.
